Logitech Powerplay Wireless Charging System

Logitech was the first company to introduce a commercially available wireless mouse, way back in 1991. Since then, the company and its competitors have evolved the concept to the point where most of the technology's downsides have been addressed, even for some of the most demanding users. But despite significant improvements over the past few years, the one advantage that traditional wired mice have continued to hold over their wireless counterparts is power.

Absent technical issues, a wired mouse will always be ready to work when you sit down at your PC. It will never give up and quit on you in the middle of a gaming session or business presentation. Wireless mice, conversely, rely on batteries with limited running time. The batteries in modern wireless mice can last weeks, even months in some cases, but at some point they'll need to be recharged or replaced. Depending on the situation, it might not be a big deal to simply plug in the USB charging cable or swap batteries when your mouse dies, but it's a safe bet that most wireless mouse users have been caught without adequate battery life at a highly inconvenient time at least once.

The obvious solution to this issue is wireless charging. The technology is already commercially available for devices like smartphones and smart watches, and for years we've been promised more ambitious solutions, such as desks that charge all of your devices at once. But there's a difference between the type of wireless charging products that have been on the market for the past few years and the type of product that would be ideal for your mouse. In other words, it's easier to design and implement a small wireless charging system that accommodates a stationary object (your smartphone) than it is to create an adequately sized mousing surface that can charge an often rapidly moving device.

But that's exactly the challenge that Logitech decided to address, and the result of their efforts is the Powerplay, the world's first consumer-targeted wireless charging system for mice. When paired with compatible Logitech devices, the Powerplay system offers a low latency "Lightspeed" experience for both gaming and everyday productivity, and it's the first step into a world where users may never need to worry about charging their mouse.

Logitech has finally released what I can only describe as the holy grail of mouse technologies. By combining the well-established and high performance wireless connectivity of the G900 mouse with a while-in-use wireless CHARGING system for new Logitech gaming mice, Logitech is promising to be bring us “unlimited gaming” and a life that no longer requires cables, battery notifications, or location-based timeouts.

Rather than bury the lead by diving into the new mice that go along with the technology, let’s first discuss PowerPlay, both the brand and the product name that Logitech is giving to the wireless charging mat that makes this all happen. Wireless charging is not a new idea, and it has been implemented on other products prior, but not to this scale. With Logitech PowerPlay you are not required to leave the mouse over a certain section of the surface and pause usage to charge. Instead, PowerPlay, when paired with one of the two mice launching with the technology, affords you continuous power that keeps you charged WHILE you are gaming!

This is a significant advancement and one that leads to quite a few improvements for gamers. First, overcoming the need to be placed and still, PowerPlay creates the largest single surface for charging any device I have seen. The size of the surface is 275mm x 320mm and closely mirrors other Logitech G mouse surfaces. Getting a surface that large, with enough power to guarantee the mouse will be provided more power than it can consume while in use, took a long time to engineer. And going above anything this size will be even more difficult as EMI restrictions from governmental bodies around the world come into play.

Implementation of PowerPlay is a USB-attached power input that has a hard surface that goes on your desk or table. Logitech then provides a soft surface that go over it to suit your preference. The mice that support PowerPlay (shown below) will still have USB connections on them for charging or use while away from your main PC, so you aren’t stuck in one place or lugging around the added hardware if you don’t need it.

The amount of charging power on PowerPlay provides wasn’t stated exactly, but it is definitely lower than a direct USB connection. I asked Logitech engineers how I could compare the performance of both power input methods. From a zero-state on the mouse to a full charge, the USB cable takes about 2 hours, while the PowerPlay would charge it in close to 14 hours. That’s significant difference, but Logitech assured me that a user could game forever with this system assuming no interruptions in power to the pad itself. The power delivery has multiple steps and Logitech says it will charge faster when in idle.

I can’t tell you how often I have asked for a feature like this, or how often the idea has been brought up by readers. Logitech has delivered – though it will cost you $99, plus the cost of a new mouse, to get up and running.

Logitech G903

Speaking of those new mice, Logitech is bringing two options today that will work just fine with, or without, the PowerPlay feature. The G903 is the successor to the incredibly popular and well-reviewed G900, a wireless-based gaming mouse that has exceeded my expectations in performance at each turn. Second is the G703, a successor to the G403. These mice are priced at $149 and $99, respectively. The PowerPlay technology is supported by a small module that is put in place on the underside of the mouse. That opening can also house a 10g weight for users that would prefer a heavier model; note that you cannot use both the weight and utilizing wireless charging.

Logitech G703

Finally, Logitech has used this opportunity to brand the wireless data technology that first debuted in the G900 as Lightspeed. I have talked about the engineering and design that went into Logitech’s release of its wireless gaming hardware previously, and it does bear repeating and a deeper dive coming soon. But gamers that worry about wireless not being as fast or as accurate as wired gaming mice should be convinced through the testing and science behind Logitech’s implementation.

In total, this hardware from Logitech provides what I feel is the most robust and feature rich gaming mouse package that exists today. The G903 and the G703 retain their superior design and capability (with some improvements along the way) while the PowerPlay wireless charging mat offers a new feature that gamers, and PC enthusiasts of all kinds, have been clamoring at for years.

We should have our sample units in very shortly, with availability starting in late June for the mice and in August for the mat!